


Storytelling and the divine right of kings

by Metabird (wheatear)



Series: Essays on power [5]
Category: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Divine Right of Kings, Episode Ardyn DLC, Episode Ignis DLC, Essays, Gen, Gods, Kings & Queens, Meta, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Spoilers, Tropes, power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23016412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheatear/pseuds/Metabird
Summary: Final Fantasy XV presents an idealistic depiction of the Chosen King, divinely appointed. A meta essay examining the divine right of kings as a narrative trope.
Series: Essays on power [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653358
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Storytelling and the divine right of kings

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted for the March Meta Matters Challenge!

There are two elements of _Final Fantasy XV_ that make it work, imo. The first is the camaraderie between the four main characters. This is really well done not only in the cut-scenes but also in battle and as they travel the world together. There's constant interaction and you really feel the friendship between them, in both the light-hearted moments and the more serious scenes. It's what brings the setting to life.

The second is the mythos around Noctis and (spoiler alert!) the sacrifice he makes at the end to restore the world to light. There's one line in particular that struck me: _Many sacrificed all for the King; so must the King sacrifice himself for all._ It's a powerful line, but it also sums up the concept that lies at the heart of this game: an **idealistic depiction of the Chosen King**, divinely appointed, who is not only the rightful ruler of his people but is also duty-bound to serve his people and his kingdom. In this depiction of what it means to be king, power and duty go hand in hand.

We've seen this story a million times, haven't we? It's a classic. It's _The Lion King_ and _Hamlet_ all over again. In these stories the divine right of kings is so powerful that when the king is cast out, the land itself withers. The usurper is not only unfit to rule, they cause sickness or blight (literally, in Ardyn's case), and must be cast down by the king so that he can take his rightful place and restore the kingdom.

The Chosen King is usually a man and patriarchy is one problem with the divine right of kings as a narrative trope. It is not in my view the main problem, because it is possible to side-step it. See for example _Final Fantasy XII_, which plays out this exact story with the Occuria, the gods of this world, appointing their ruler, but in this case the chosen ruler is Ashe, a woman (descended from the original Dynast-King, of course). "The Reins of History in the hands of Man," is what Vayne, the villain of this story, wants, which to my mind is a fully sympathetic and even correct view of the world. Who wants to be a pawn of the gods? Why should they get to choose who rules? But Vayne is also the guy in charge of the Evil Empire, so we'd better stop him. Good thing the gods are on our side. FFXII comes closer to questioning the whole concept at least, since Vayne does openly challenge the authority of the gods, and the story also questions Ashe's motives. Aren't they both equally power-hungry in the end? But it doesn't succeed at making this land because it's still committed to Ashe defeating the usurper and restoring her throne. So it ends up being somewhat muddy.

FFXV is a far purer version of this story and more powerful as a result. No questioning the hero's motives here. The pure version of this tale also goes full-on with the patriarchy to the point that the story's treatment of its female characters is absolute garbage and by far the weakest part of the game. (Don't get me started on Luna or the Oracles in general. They exist to serve the King and then die so that he can fulfil his ordained destiny. Or in the case of the Ardyn prologue, to die caught in the conflict between would-be kings.) This is also why I fully sympathise with Ravus, who of course ends up being killed off too because he's the only one who questions this bullshit.

But let's talk about the main problem with this trope, which is **the idea that _anyone_ has a right to power**, let alone a god-given, ordained, destined right, the land itself will die if this frankly unremarkable dude does not fulfil his destiny as king etc. This is the trick that the aristocracy and the church and any other authority that claims a divine right to power has played on us for centuries. It is the only justification of rule by inheritance. It's utter nonsense, so why, why, is it still so prevalent? The monarchy still exists in many places of course and perhaps that's part of it even if they don't actually rule. Religion must also play a part here, because even if it's a religious organisation that doesn't wield any political power (and many religious organisations do), the _idea_ that someone could be divinely chosen or appointed to rule can only spring from some form of religious doctrine. 

Apart from real-world influence, why else might it appeal to us? Because we are talking about fiction here, and what appeals to us in fiction may not appeal to us in real life. Part of it might be a power fantasy, if we imagine the audience vicariously identifying with the protagonist. Or more generally, there's something cathartic in fiction about the struggle between Good and Evil, and the triumph of good over evil. I think it was Plato who said that _democracy is the least worst form of government_. He's right. Because the best form of government is a _benevolent dictatorship_. Imagine Plato's Philosopher Kings, so wise and so enlightened that they always make the right decisions for the good of the people. Or better than that, let's go straight into fantasy-land and imagine a king chosen by the gods so **you know he's the right person to rule**, and whose magic powers literally restore the land, again so you know he's the rightful king. There is no doubt. The kingdom is in safe hands. This is how it should be. It's comforting, isn't it? It feels good and satisfying to hear a story like this.

It doesn't work at all in reality, of course, because reality is far messier than that. There is no such thing as a benevolent dictator. And here is where I struggle to articulate my views on this trope, because I get the appeal of exploring a fantasy where the Rightful King makes everything well. I enjoy that story too. But I also resent it because of all the underlying assumptions behind the trope, which ultimately are about **reinforcing the status quo**. It's power begetting power, power justifying itself, and power as an authority that can only be held to account by the divine, not by the people, which works in a story like FFXV because that divine power exists and it forces Noctis to fulfil his royal duty by sacrificing himself, but in real life there is no such accountability. There's a falsehood at the heart of this trope and that's why I resent it.

This is why I always find myself sympathising with the character or characters who push back against this bullshit, even if they're the villain. I enjoyed Episode Ardyn for this very reason, since it gives us a sympathetic back story for Ardyn. Surprise! The gods are assholes and Somnus is a dick. 

This whole theme is also one of the reasons why I really liked Episode Ignis and the alternate ending to the story, because hilariously it gives us a route where, guess what, the gods' pre-ordained story didn't have to happen! Noctis didn't have to die! He didn't even have to be saviour! This ending therefore presents the possibility that this entire King of Kings bullshit is just that, bullshit, which undermines the very foundation that FFXV sits upon.

Finally... Talking about this in relation to Final Fantasy is interesting, because the series itself contains conflicting messages on this subject. I've discussed FFXV and FFXII which lean into the Chosen King trope, but _Final Fantasy X_ is a beautiful example of completely the opposite message. In FFX, the Church of Yevon is a corrupt authority whose power rests on a tradition that merely keeps the people subservient and preserves the status quo without actually solving the world's problems (represented by a giant monster called Sin – subtle, it is not). The party discovers that following this tradition will do nothing to break the cycle and consequently rebel against the Church and find an alternative way to defeat Sin for good. It's great.


End file.
